Photo: Flickr-myfoxdfw

If you've travelled to the coast lately you know gas prices are verging on $1.80 a litre at many gas stations.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is pointing the finger squarely at the new federal carbon-tax as the leading culprit behind the rising gas prices.

A release by the CTF points to the number of people crossing the border into Washington State to purchase gas among other goods.

British Columbians can save as much as 50 cents per litre across the border. The savings add up pretty quickly for the average driver.  

The CTF release indicates on average, "for a vehicle with a 70-litre fuel tank, that works out to saving $35 per fill up. Multiply that by two fill ups a week for the average commuter family in Langley (not a lot of people can afford to live downtown with outrageously high housing costs) and suddenly you’re looking at either spending in Canada or saving in the States $70 extra per week — or $3,600 per year."

The report indicates gas prices in Seattle are even cheaper coming in at about $1.15 (Canadian) per litre. The release says that price in Seattle, "proving that a major city in the Pacific Northwest can indeed exist without prohibitively high fuel costs."

The CTF indicates Conservative leader Andrew Scheer highlights B.C.'s high gas prices as a glimpse into the future.

With these record prices coming just weeks after the introduction of the new federal carbon tax
the CTF points out that taxes are not the only factor that determines gas prices, but they are among the biggest. "In B.C., different types of taxes accounted for about a third of the entire price, including the provincial carbon tax that works out to 9.8 cents per litre with GST."